This morning, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office released new details about a deadly shooting that happened in a rural community near Monument, CO on Sunday evening.

Police report that Erik Mattyasovsky, 30, is facing charges of reckless manslaughter and prohibited use of a weapon in the shooting death of his brother, whose name was not released.

The sheriff’s office says that when questioned, Mattyasovsky admitted that he shot his brother while they were practicing defensive techniques.

The shooting happened at around 6:15 p.m. in the 19800 block of Alexandria Drive, which is in a neighborhood just east of I-25 and north of Palmer Ridge High School.

Now, while information is still sparse regarding just how Mattyasovsky’s brother was shot, but it appears that this is just another case of a negligent discharge that tragically ended in a death.

Please remember, to everyone practicing their defensive techniques to follow the rules of firearms and NEVER let your guard down or become complacent or lax around a firearm. It could cause the injury or death of someone you care about, or yourself, and can land someone in jail for a very long time.

Lawrence Arthur Perreault, the mayor of Kiowa is facing multiple charges after an incident in which he pointed a handgun at his teenage son.

Perreault, 45, was arrested by the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office at 10 p.m. on April 15. He faces a felony charge of menacing and misdemeanor charges of harassment, reckless endangerment, prohibited use of a weapon by an intoxicated person and unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon. He was released from jail after posting $25,000 bond.

The night of April 15, sheriff’s deputies discovered Perreault and his wife, Sharon, arguing while standing between two vehicles near the intersection of County Road 166 and County Road 13 on the outskirts of Elizabeth, according to the arrest affidavit.

Sharon Perreault told deputies the two were having a disagreement that involved her son, the report states. She added that her husband had been drinking and had a weapon in his possession.

Deputies found a loaded semiautomatic handgun, an extra magazine and a knife in Lawrence Perreault’s pockets, according to the affidavit. A deputy reported that the suspect’s eyes were bloodshot and he was having trouble maintaining his balance.

Lawrence Perreault’s son told deputies that he, his 11-year-old sister and his father went to Southlands shopping center for a movie and food. The father consumed alcohol at three different locations, the son said, sparking concern about his dad’s ability to drive. The teenager called his mother, who met them at a store in Aurora and picked up the 11-year-old girl.

The teenager then proceeded to drive his father home. During the ride home, Lawrence Perreault made threats toward his son, “repeatedly insulting” him and stating that he would “knock him out and that they should just kill each other,” the affidavit says.

While the son was driving east on County Road 166, Lawrence Perreault pulled out his handgun and pointed it at the teenager, the affidavit says. As they approached County Road 13, the report continued, the father reached over and turned off the vehicle in the middle of the roadway and forced the teenager out of the vehicle.

Lawrence Perreault consented to a portable breath test and was found to have a blood alcohol content of 0.186 percent, and his concealed-carry permit expired in 2013, the affidavit states.

Kiowa Town Administrator Michelle Oeser said town officials could not comment on the matter.

The jury was hung on three charges of illegal importing of weapons. Wyatt was taken into custody immediately following the guilty verdict in Denver U.S. District Court Friday afternoon and awaits sentencing at a later date. He faces up to 15 years in a federal prison for these crimes.

The jury found Wyatt guilty of failing to report $1.1 million in income to the IRS, conspiracy, and dealing firearms without a license.

ATF agents seized 583 guns and ammunition from his Gunsmoke store on March 31, 2015.

Wyatt had entered an agreement with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to relinquish his federal firearms license in 2009.

Even without a gun license, he was able to negotiate a lucrative contract with the Discovery Channel that would eventually pay him about $500,000 in 2011 and 2012 to star in “American Guns,” which revolved around activities at his Wheat Ridge shop, Gunsmoke Guns.

According to court records, Wyatt kept his business running by conspiring with the owner of Triggers, a gun store in Castle Rock, to operate Gunsmoke under a straw license.

When Triggers also surrendered its firearms license, Wyatt conspired with other gun dealers to keep his business afloat, records indicate. His customers would buy a gun from him at Gunsmoke and then go to the other stores for criminal background checks and to pick up their weapons.

Two undercover ATF agents wore body cameras while they purchased four guns from Wyatt on three occasions, court records indicate.

Colorado Democrats on the state House’s State, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee voted 6-3 in party-line votes to “postpone indefinitely” House Bills 1036, 1037 and 1097. Such a move usually means a death sentence in Colorado’s Legislature.

House Bill 1036 would have completely stripped language from the state’s statute that currently forbids people from carrying concealed handguns on public school grounds, even if the holder has a permit.

It was killed after more than four hours of testimony, including some from the father of a boy killed in the Columbine shooting and a woman whose sister was killed in Newtown. Support for the measure came from the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Patrick Neville, who was a Columbine graduate.

House Bill 1037 would have expanded state law that allows people in their own homes to use deadly force against a person under certain circumstances to owners, managers, and employees of a business as well.

Under the law, those business employees would have been allowed to use physical or deadly force against a person who is believed to have committed a crime while uninvited inside the business, or against a person who is believed to have posed a threat of physical violence. The indefinite postponement means those conditions will likely only remain in effect for homeowners.

And finally, the committee also killed House Bill 1097, which would have eliminated a section of state law that bars “large-capacity magazines.”

The statute, which was written in 2013 banned any weapon magazine that could hold more than 15 rounds of ammunition, and in the case of shotguns, any magazine that could hold more than 28 inches of shells. It also banned any magazine that could hold more than eight shotgun shells when combined with a fixed magazine.

The statute also banned the possession, sale or transfer of any large-capacity magazines after July 1, 2013, and required any person in possession of or manufacturer who was making such magazines at the time to have a stamp or marking noting it was made after that date.

The bill would have eliminated both portions of the statute.

So, a long story short, it seems that Colorado’s stance on firearms has made a staunch turn left for the foreseeable future. What do you all think? Do you think these bill postponements are going to hurt Coloradans? Let us know in the comments.

A measure that encourages Colorado schools to provide firearms training for its security guards, and pave the way for more teachers be armed in the classroom cleared its first committee this week.

SB 17-005, or the Handgun Safety Training For School Employees Bill, as it is known, would allow a county sheriff to provide a gun safety course to any school employee who also holds a concealed-carry firearm permit. Sheriffs are already involved in emergency school emergency response plans.

“So who better to offer this training to help work with the school district to decide what should be involved,” said Senate Majority Leader Chris Holbert (R-Parker) who is sponsoring the legislation.

Right now, Colorado bans firearms in K-12 schools, with exceptions for law enforcement and private security. Some school districts allow teachers and other staff to work as “private security.” However, Holbert said schools aren’t required to report that information.

“So this would create an exception for people who come through this program, they wouldn’t have to be hired as private security,” he said.

Supporters are adamant that this legislation won’t put more guns in schools. Instead, they say it would simply allow for more training. “If there are people who work in the schools, teachers or other staff who want to be armed, then this would also contribute to them being trained,” Holbert said.

However, even if this bill ends up passing fully through the state legislature, school districts wouldn’t be required to offer the training. Holbert added that while he wants to encourage more training, he didn’t want to force the issue onto school districts.

“I really want to be a champion and respect local control when it comes to our school districts,” said Holbert. “That’s what’s in our constitution. I think they are best prepared to make these decisions for their communities.”

Former high school teacher Ronald Dietz of Littleton said he thinks having more concealed carry holders would make schools safer. He said civilians have stopped mass shootings and gun-free zones don’t work.

Concealed Carry Trainer Ryan McGonigal. Not the victim of the bullet, regardless of what 9 News said.

On New Year’s Eve, following New Year’s Celebrations, a local man was entering his car to head home, when suddenly a stray bullet fell through his car’s sunroof, injuring the man.

It is believed that the shot fired was from a person celebrating the new year by firing rounds from his gun straight into the air. Something that the popular television show “Mythbusters” proved could cause injury to someone, upon the bullet’s falling back to Earth. Such is the case in Aurora. Luckily the man is expected to make a full recovery.

In the days that followed, Denver’s NBC affiliate 9 News spoke of the incident. However, in their story, used an image of Ryan McGonigal with the belief that he was the victim. This was not the case, as Ryan made abundantly clear to us. So to set the record straight about the incident, we spoke with Ryan about the incident and he gave us his commentary.

Ryan stated, “If someone ever has the idea in their head to go and shoot a gun in the air, they need to go get training from a professional organization like ours before they decide to even purchase a firearm.”

A tiny school district in Hanover, Colorado has voted to allow teachers and other employees at its two schools to carry concealed handguns on the job if they volunteer to serve double duty as security officers.

The Board of Education for the Hanover School District #28 voted 3-2 to approve the resolution on Wednesday night, said Mark McPherson, board president.

McPherson, who voted against the plan, said it was inspired less by the fear of a shooting rampage on campus than by the district’s remote location, some 30 miles from the nearest sheriff’s station.

“We had a board member who introduced the idea back in June who indicated he felt the need for this because of the distance and response time (from law enforcement),” McPherson said.

The written resolution, however, says in part that it was drafted “in light of recent events nationally,” apparently in reference to a string of shootings on school campuses.

Hanover School District #28 is comprised of one elementary school and one combined junior and senior high school, serving a total of about 245 students. Each school has about 10 teachers.

According to the resolution, any teacher or staff member with a permit to carry a concealed weapon can volunteer for extra duty as a security officer.

The employee must then complete training before being allowed to bring the gun to campus.

McPherson said that it was not yet clear how many of the 20 or so teachers in the district would sign up to be volunteer security officers but that the resolution did not set a limit on how many could carry weapons.

A few months ago in Castle Rock, Weatherproof Roofing started running an interesting promotion in which if you purchased a replacement roof and exterior repairs they would give you either an AR-15, a 9-mm pistol, a self-defense shotgun, or a $500 gift certificate. Of course, you must first pass a federal background check to receive the item, should you choose one of the firearms.

In the company’s disclaimer, Weatherproof strongly recommends the safe and responsible use of ALL firearms, that all firearm users take a firearms safety class, and that all firearms be kept securely out of the reach of unattended minors.

It’s been a few months since the incentive began and now, Weatherproof has taken the idea one step further, offering AR-15s as an incentive to attract new employees, due to the immense boom in business since the giveaway.

James Webb is the owner of Weatherproof Roofing and he is very excited about the recent boom in business, however with the boom comes another issue.

“We just don’t have the staff to keep up with it,” Webb said. “So now we’re giving it another shot with ‘get a job, get a gun.’ ” He added that he has four sales positions that he needs to fill immediately.

But there are some requirements that must be met before the new salesperson can collect his or her AR-15. They must first book 10 roofing jobs to qualify and, of course, pass a background check.

The 2016 election is only a few days away and while everyone knows the presidential candidates’ stances on guns, for many the state elections, which can cause affect laws in each individual state just as much, if not more than the presidency. We here at USA Firearm Training believe that a well-informed populace is a strong one, so we are going to be sharing with you the Senate race in Colorado and the stances of the candidates on guns, to give each of you a better idea where they stand.

THE RACE

Colorado’s 2016 Senate race pits Democratic incumbent Michael Bennet against Republican challenger Darryl Glenn. Bennet has served one term in the U.S. Senate after a 4-year stint as the superintendent of the Denver public schools. While Glenn is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Air Force, where he served for 21 years of combined active and reserve duty.He was elected to the Colorado Springs City Council in 2003 and resigned in 2010 after he was elected as District 1 county commissioner in El Paso County.

Currently, Bennet leads in an average of the polls by 14 points.

To give you an idea of where these candidates stand on the issues of guns and gun control, let’s take a look at their historical records and statements on the matter.

MICHAEL BENNET

Michael Bennet scores a C+ by the NRA on pro-gun rights policies. This means that Bennet is a candidate with a mixed record or positions on gun related issues, who may oppose some pro-gun positions.

Bennet opposes restriction on the right to bear arms according to the Christian Coalition survey question on the right to bear arms. The Christian Coalition voter guide is one of the most powerful tools Christians have to view candidates in an election. It educates citizens as to where candidates for public office stand on key faith and family issues.

Bennet signed H.R.2324 & S.843 which would make it unlawful for any person to operate a gun show unless such person:

has attained 21 years of age;

is not prohibited from transporting, shipping, or receiving firearms and has not violated any federal firearms requirements;

has registered with the Attorney General as a gun show operator and has provided a photograph and fingerprints;

has not concealed material information nor made false statements in connection with a gun show operator registration; and

notifies the Attorney General of the date, time, and duration of a gun show not later than 30 days before the commencement of such show and verifies the identity of each vendor at the gun show.

Bennet voted yes on banning high-capacity magazines of over 10 bullets. In the vote, Bennet agreed to the following.

The term ‘large capacity ammunition feeding device’ means a magazine or similar device that has an overall capacity of more than 10 rounds of ammunition

It shall be unlawful for a person to import, sell, manufacture, or possess a large capacity ammunition feeding device.

Shall not apply to the possession of any large capacity ammunition feeding device otherwise lawfully possessed before 2013.

Shall not apply to qualified or retired law enforcement officers.

DARRYL GLENN

Darryl Glenn at this point has no voting record regarding guns since he has not been in the position to handle gun control rulings at this time, but Glenn has stated in no uncertain terms his feelings on the second amendment.

Bennet stated “The Second Amendment to the Constitution is unambiguous. It states that, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Yet despite this Constitutional guarantee–the most fundamental guarantee of rights we have in this country– President Obama and Democrats like Michael Bennet are doing everything in their power to chip away at the rights of law abiding citizens.

The loss of life we have seen in recent days as a result of an act of violence is a horrific, tragic event. But the real solution is not to take away guns from law abiding citizens–so that criminals are the only ones left with guns.

I will continue to defend the right of all Coloradans to own, purchase, and enjoy firearms without the intrusion or monitoring of the government.”

This article is meant to take a look at Colorado’s open carry laws so that you folks can get a better idea what is and is not legal in the state.

The state of Colorado protects the right to bear arms under Article II, Section 13 of its state constitution, but this does not mean that everyone may carry a gun, or that you may always carry a gun wherever you like. Colorado requires a concealed carry permit to carry a weapon concealed outside of the dwelling or car (personal transportation). A permit, however, does not authorize a person to use a firearm in a manner that would violate a provision of state law. (Colo. Rev. Stat. § 18-12-214.)

A permit is not required to carry a handgun where carrying firearms is legal, if the handgun is not concealed. A handgun is not considered concealed if it is in the possession of a person who is in a private automobile or if the person is carrying it through an approved or legal use, such as hunting. Exempt from the requirement of a permit to carry a concealed handgun are peace officers of Colorado, U.S. probation officers, law enforcement officers employed by jurisdiction outside of the state, and retired peace officers.

However legal it may be to have a handgun inside of an automobile, it is unlawful to have a firearm other than a handgun in or on any motor vehicle unless the chamber is unloaded. It is also unlawful to carry or possess a firearm without legal authority on the property of, or within any government building in. It is unlawful to possess, without legal authority, a firearm in or on the real estate of any school, college, university, or seminary, with some exceptions.

Now, there are certainly additional questions as well as more in-depth looks into such things as who is not allowed to possess a gun, and what public places do or do not allow them. We will be going over those in specific articles, later on, due to the complexity of some of the situations. For right now, however, we have a wonderful FAQ page on our Colorado site with a lot of helpful information.

If you have specific questions that you would like covered in future articles about Colorado’s open carry laws, shoot us a comment below, and we will make sure to add them to future reports.